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The movie theater wasn’t exactly quiet. Apart from the actors’ voices coming from the big screen, there were also various murmurs around.
He Jingxiu’s words fell into her ears; he knew she heard them, but since she didn’t respond, he didn’t push.
Bo Ying didn’t fully understand what He Jingxiu meant and couldn’t think of an answer that fit the situation right away.
After some thought, she gave him a vague answer: “If you think I want to, then I do; if you think I don’t, then I don’t.”
After saying this, she deliberately flashed a smile at He Jingxiu.
Upon hearing her response, He Jingxiu felt both helpless and amused.
Using the white light from the screen, he examined the person beside him. Bo Ying had put on very delicate makeup today, accentuating her small round face.
Her nose was well-shaped—small and straight, making her features more three-dimensional. The most beautiful part was her large, watery eyes.
At this moment, she looked intently at the distance, her almond-shaped eyes wide open, her lashes thick, her lips slightly parted. Each frame was as beautiful as a painting.
Not dazzlingly bright, yet still charming enough to make him unable to ignore her.
Bo Ying felt the gaze from the person next to her; her eyelashes fluttered slightly, feeling a bit nervous.
But she didn’t want to reveal her thoughts and could only endure.
She pursed her lips and quietly picked up her cola to continue drinking, trying to ease her tension.
Just as Bo Ying’s lips touched the straw, the person beside her spoke.
“Bo Ying.” He frowned at the cola, “Drink less of it.”
Bo Ying paused, raising her eyelids to look at him.
“No other water to drink.” She habitually drank water or beverages to relieve her tension.
He Jingxiu: “Thirsty?”
Bo Ying hummed, “Thirsty.”
She certainly couldn’t say she was drinking to divert her nervousness.
He Jingxiu slightly furrowed his brows, “Can you hold on for a bit?”
Bo Ying shook her head, “No.”
For her, holding back on drinking water was like holding back on going to the bathroom—it was unbearable.
He Jingxiu helplessly said, “Take one sip and set it down. I’ll be back after stepping out.”
“Ah?” Bo Ying froze, “You have something to take care of?”
He Jingxiu didn’t respond and quietly slipped out, not disturbing anyone.
Bo Ying stared at his retreating figure for a while, then silently put down her cola.
With him gone, she no longer needed to drink cola to ease her tension.
When He Jingxiu returned, the movie had reached another major climax later on.
Bo Ying was engrossed in watching when suddenly something was placed in her hand.
She looked down and saw a bottle of mineral water.
Bo Ying turned her head in a daze, hearing He Jingxiu’s slightly hurried breathing and seeing his always handsome face.
“Not thirsty anymore?” He caught her gaze and lowered his eyes to ask, “It’s not your favorite brand, but can you make do with it for now?”
In fact, Bo Ying’s previous complaints were somewhat off. He Jingxiu was rather loyal when it came to drinking water, preferring only one brand. But Bo Ying was similar.
She didn’t have a specific brand she liked, but she did have brands she disliked. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn’t buy those brands.
Bo Ying tightened her lips slightly, gripping the bottle of mineral water tighter.
She realized that the mineral water was still warm, warmer than usual.
“Mm.” Bo Ying stared at the water in her hand for a while before tilting her chin to take a big gulp.
The cap was already unscrewed when He Jingxiu handed it to her.
After drinking, He Jingxiu instinctively took it back and screwed the cap back on.
Bo Ying zoned out watching him and felt like a useless person.
Because of a bottle of water, she hadn’t really paid attention to the latter half of the climax.
By the end, Bo Ying still didn’t know who the murderer was in this suspense film.
“Sheng Chun, who’s the killer?”
As the audience left the scene, the front was congested, so Bo Ying and the others decided to wait until everyone else had left.
Sheng Chun made a sound, turned her head to look at her, and said, “I wanted to ask you. Weren’t you watching all along?”
Bo Ying: “…Weren’t you too?”
The two exchanged a glance and tacitly shifted their gazes.
Why they hadn’t watched closely didn’t need to be asked in detail; they understood each other’s reasons.
As they stood in silence, a woman’s voice came from the front.
“Back?”
A familiar tone.
Bo Ying raised her head and saw Tan Rui, whose profile she had just seen half of.
She was dressed beautifully today in a black sleeveless long dress, elegant and graceful. Her appearance was also striking, making people’s eyes light up upon seeing her.
Bo Ying thought inwardly, no wonder Du Nan was so certain that she and He Jingxiu would definitely marry in the future.
There was no other reason; purely because their appearances and family backgrounds were indeed well-matched in the eyes of outsiders.
Of course, these outsiders didn’t include Bo Ying.
He Jingxiu nodded.
Tan Rui was used to his cold and indifferent personality, smiled, and said, “Eaten yet? Want to grab something to eat together?”
He Jingxiu: “No need.”
“Not hungry?” Tan Rui didn’t look at the few people sitting nearby; her gaze was fixed on the man she hadn’t seen for a long time. Her emotions were clear, not hidden at all.
She smiled and said, “This time you’ve been on a business trip for so long. Luo Xiao and the others, including Chen Ling, said they haven’t seen you for a while. Before I came here, I booked a private room at Zhenyue. Are you sure you don’t want to go?”
He Jingxiu still repeated his previous statement, “No.”
Tan Rui was taken aback, surprised by his persistence. In the past, whenever he returned from a business trip, mentioning his cousin Chen Ling would make him give in.
The reason was simple. Chen Ling was a lively person, and He Jingxiu was afraid she would ruin important occasions, so he usually kept an eye on her.
He Jingxiu said, “Tell Luo Xiao to keep an eye on Chen Ling. If there’s anything, call my mother.”
“…?”
Tan Rui paused, looked at his weary face, and guessed, “So are you planning to go home and rest? Should I have the driver—”
Before she could finish, He Jingxiu suddenly asked, “Send you back?”
Tan Rui froze, her eyes instantly lighting up. Just as she was about to agree, she first heard a pleasant female voice.
“No.”
Bo Ying glanced at He Jingxiu and firmly rejected his suggestion, “I drove here myself, and I know how to get back.”
At this point, Tan Rui noticed someone sitting beside He Jingxiu.
She was surprised to see Bo Ying and searched her memory hard for this face. Unfortunately, she failed.
In her memory, there was no one named Bo Ying.
“This is…” After realizing she hadn’t met this person before, Tan Rui calmed down and politely asked, “Jingxiu, aren’t you going to introduce us?”
Upon hearing this, He Jingxiu asked Bo Ying’s opinion, “Do you want an introduction?”
“…”
Bo Ying didn’t know whether he was intentionally doing this or genuinely unaware of Miss Tan’s feelings towards him. After some thought, she lifted her eyes to meet Tan Rui’s gaze and softly said, “Bo Ying.”
“Tan Rui.”
Tan Rui observed the situation between the two, suppressing her surprise, and cheerfully asked, “Miss Bo, do you feel like having a late-night snack? Would you like to join us?”
The word ‘us’ was quite intriguing.
Bo Ying carefully pondered for a moment, intending to refuse. Suddenly, she noticed Sheng Chun nodding.
She paused, raised her eyes to look at Tan Rui, and changed her mind, saying, “Sure.”
Hearing her response, Tan Rui didn’t know whether to sigh in relief or what to do.
“Alright, let’s go now.”
At this moment, Sheng Chun, who had been silent, chimed in, “Alright. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Luo Xiao and the others. I even want to hear his jokes again.”
Luo Xiao was incompetent in work matters but excelled in eating, drinking, and entertaining. He even had a habit of telling jokes.
Pei Yunmeng observed this side of the group, her mind racing, roughly understanding the situation.
She tactfully said, “Me too, me too. Yingying, I’ll introduce you to Luo Xiao later. He’s super fun.”
Bo Ying: “Okay.”
Leaving the cinema, the group headed towards the parking lot.
Outside was still bustling; the fans and the movie crew hadn’t left yet and were still in an excited state.
Bo Ying, Pei Yunmeng, and Sheng Chun walked together, very quietly.
Meanwhile, He Jingxiu walked with Pei Yan and Tan Rui, discussing business.
The two groups walked one behind the other, maintaining a distance where they could just hear each other’s conversations.
“Yingying, are you driving?”
“Yes.” Bo Ying knew they all had rides, but she still asked, “Are you riding with me?”
Sheng Chun pointed behind her and whispered, “I can’t. Some people will get upset, thinking I look down on their driving skills.”
Bo Ying chuckled, “Then Yunmeng will ride with me?”
Pei Yunmeng nodded, “Of course, I’ll keep you company. I don’t want to be a third wheel with my brother and the others.”
As the group talked, they unknowingly arrived at their parked cars.
Bo Ying and Pei Yan’s cars were parked in different spots; hers was in front, theirs a little further back.
After stopping, Bo Ying unlocked the car. As her hand touched the door handle, Tan Rui’s voice came from behind.
“Why aren’t you leaving?”
He Jingxiu stood slightly behind Bo Ying, his voice calm, “You guys go ahead. I’ll ride with her.”
Tan Rui looked at Bo Ying, who ignored her completely and sat expressionlessly in the driver’s seat.
“Aren’t you going home? Miss Bo is going to Zhenyue, which isn’t on the way to your place.”
Tan Rui held onto her last hope and said, “If your driver hasn’t come, I’ll send you back first?”
He Jingxiu hummed and said, “No need. I’m also going to Zhenyue.”
Tan Rui’s mouth slightly opened, finding it hard to believe what she heard. He Jingxiu, who usually refused and never changed his mind, was being so inconsistent?
She didn’t understand.
Tan Rui’s face stiffened slightly, her lips moved, wanting to say something more when He Jingxiu had already turned his back to her.
He Jingxiu tapped on the car window, and Bo Ying impatiently rolled it down, “President He, it’s after work hours. Do you have any instructions?”
He Jingxiu stared at her for a few seconds, “Instructions dare not.”
His voice was low, and he reached into the control panel inside the car window, unlocking the driver’s side door.
He Jingxiu opened the car door, lowering his eyes to look at her, “I’ll drive.”
“…”
Bo Ying directly refused, “No.”
He Jingxiu looked at her puffed-up face, not caring if anyone was watching. He gently poked her dimple with his fingertip, softly saying, “You have astigmatism; it’s unsafe to drive at night.”
Bo Ying was momentarily stuck, glancing at him, “Then President He might not know, I had laser eye surgery a couple of years ago. My vision is fine now.”
He Jingxiu actually didn’t know this.
During this time, he occasionally saw Bo Ying wearing glasses and didn’t realize they were non-prescription decorative glasses.
“When did you have it done?”
He Jingxiu asked.
Bo Ying choked, questioning He Jingxiu’s emotional intelligence. Was this the right time to ask such questions?!
She glared at him angrily, “Forgot.” Rolling her eyes, she fiercely asked, “Are you getting in the car or not?”
He Jingxiu: “Yes.”